CAPTAIN SAMS
We delayed opening our nets until 8:00am this morning due to below freezing temps (barely) and windy conditions causing a wind chill effect in the mid 20's. We did not see the migration of Yellow-rumped Warblers that we were hoping for following this cold front. Maybe they are still up north. However, we did band 24 new birds and had 16 recaptures of 12 species. The highlight of the day was a hatch-year female Wilson's Warbler. We don't band many Wilson's Warblers. In fact, in some years we haven't banded any. This is our 2nd one this season at Captain Sams and likely our last one. Little Bear has also banded two this fall.
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| Wilson's Warbler (Hatch-year, female) |
Northwest winds continue for the next several days and the wind should die down on Thursday which should help us catch more birds.
-Aaron
LITTLE BEAR
While we didn't see high numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers, we did have more birds overall than the last several days. We had 42 birds of 7 different species with 17 newly banded birds and 25 recaptures. The Gray Catbirds were certainly out and about today as they accounted for 19 of our 25 recaps. Our second-most prevalent bird today was Yellow-rumped Warblers, with 8 new and 2 recaps.
Our most exciting bird from today was a Common Ground Dove. We thought that this species was extirpated from the island, so never imagined we would come across one in our nets. The last time one was captured at Little Bear was in 2019, and 3 were captured at Captain Sam's in 2022. Hopefully this means that this species can be found on the island once more, but time will tell. This was my first time seeing a Common Ground Dove, let alone having one in the hand. I immediately noticed its small size and the intricate details of the feathers. The little brown spots on the wing that appear brown are actually iridescent purple in the sunlight! We ultimately decided this bird was an after-hatch-year due to the quality of the primary coverts with dark rufous coloring and broad dark tips. The blue head and pink wash on the throat and breast point towards male. This dove is the 107th species banded between the two stations, breaking the record for most species banded in a season!
-Liz
Common Ground Dove, after-hatch-year male
| Species | Captain Sams | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Common Ground Dove | - | - | 1 | - |
Downy Woodpecker | - | 1 | - | - |
Blue-headed Vireo | 1 | - | - | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | 1 | - | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | - | - |
Gray Catbird | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
Hermit Thrush | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
Song Sparrow | 1 | - | - | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 2 | 1 | - | - |
Orange-crowned Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | - | - | - |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 9 | 7 | 8 | 2 |
Wilson's Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | - | - | 4 |
Painted Bunting | 1 | - | 2 | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 24 | 17 | 41 |
| # of Recaptures | 16 | 25 | 41 |
| # of Species | 12 | 7 | 15 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 153.0 | 140.0 | 293.0 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 26.1 | 30.0 | 28.0 |
| # of Nets | 32 | 28 | - |
| 2025 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 5,030 | 3,452 | 8,482 |
| # of Recaptures | 1,088 | 988 | 2,076 |
| # of Species | 92 | 92 | 107 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 13,613 | 10,005.9 | 23,619.3 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 44.9 | 44.0 | 44.5 |
| # of Days | 85 | 74 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)Michael Gamble (CS)
Liz Held (LB)
Arden Schneider (LB)
Camille Beckwith (CS)
Note: All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab.
